New Jersey Name Change Forms: Every Form and Where to File It

A name change in New Jersey runs through federal forms and New Jersey agencies at the same time. Here is the whole set, and where each one actually comes from.

• Certified marriage certificate or divorce decree. Not a form you fill in, but the document everything else depends on. Order certified copies from the New Jersey Department of Health, Office of Vital Statistics and Registry. Get two or three, since several agencies each want to see one.
• Form SS-5 (Social Security card). One national form, identical in every state, and always free. Download it straight from the SSA (PDF), or see it filled out field by field.
• Your New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (NJ MVC) license application. This is the New Jersey-specific piece. The agency supplies the form, and most locations hand it to you at the counter or post it on their site rather than publishing a standalone name-change form. Start from the official New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (NJ MVC) page.
• A passport form, if you hold a passport: DS-5504 (free, passport under a year old), DS-82 (renew by mail), or DS-11 (in person). Which one is yours is a short test: compare all three.
• Voter registration update. Free, and often handled for you at the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (NJ MVC). Details on the New Jersey voter registration page.

Watch for sites charging a fee to "provide" the SS-5 or the passport forms. Every one of them is a free download from the government, linked above.

Filling in the form is half of it. New Jersey also wants supporting documents at the counter:

• Certified marriage certificate (or civil union certificate) showing the name change
• Current NJ driver's license/ID card
• "6 points" of identification documents (e.g., certified birth certificate, U.S. passport, Social Security card) per NJ MVC point system
• Proof of Social Security Administration name update recommended before visiting MVC
• Certified English translation if any document is in a foreign language

REAL ID note: A name change is processed as a walk-in at any MVC Licensing Center (no appointment needed); if pursuing REAL ID, the name on all supporting documents must match, so update Social Security records first (wait 24-48 hours for SSA sync) before visiting MVC.

Good to know for New Jersey: Certified copies cost $25 for the initial search plus one certified copy ($2 for each additional copy ordered at the same time). Can be ordered online/by phone via VitalChek, by mail, or in person at the Trenton state office or local municipal registrar; requires valid photo ID copy and proof of relationship to the person named on the record.

Many New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (NJ MVC) locations let you skip the line by booking ahead: book a New Jersey appointment.

Two of these go in the mail, and they do not go to the same place.

Form SS-5. Take or mail it to a local Social Security office. There is no central address for the SS-5, so use the SSA office locator to find the one that serves you.

Passport forms. This is where New Jersey matters, because routine DS-82 service is split by state. New Jersey is routed to the Pennsylvania processing center.

DS-82, routine service from New Jersey
National Passport Processing Center
PO Box 90155
Philadelphia, PA 19190-0155

Routine service (no fee)
National Passport Processing Center
Post Office Box 90107
Philadelphia, PA 19190-0107

Expedited service uses different addresses again and costs extra, and the instructions ask you to write "Expedite" on the outside of the envelope. Use a trackable mailing service: that envelope holds your passport and your certified certificate.

• Certified marriage certificate (3 copies): $30–$90
• Social Security card (Form SS-5): Free
• Driver's license update (New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (NJ MVC)): $11 (duplicate license fee)
• Passport (only if you update it): Free–$165
• Voter registration: Free

Most people spend roughly $41–$266 in New Jersey: on the low end if you skip the passport, on the high end with a full passport renewal and extra certificate copies.

The forms themselves cost nothing. What you pay for is certified copies, the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (NJ MVC) fee, and a passport renewal if you need one. Passport pricing changes independently of anything New Jersey does, so check the current State Department fee schedule on the day you file.